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Season 1
Season 1 premiered in the United States on January 18, 2004, on Showtime and featured 13 episodes presenting several entwined story lines. Set in West Hollywood, the series first introduces Bette Porter and Tina Kennard, a couple with a seven-year relationship who want to have a child. Tina eventually becomes pregnant through artificial insemination but has a miscarriage during episode 1.09: Luck, next time. Later in the series, Bette develops an affair with Candace Jewell. The pilot introduced a coming out/love triangle storyline involving Tina and Bette’s neighbor, Tim Haspel, his new-in-town girlfriend, Jenny Schecter, and Marina Ferrer. Marina is part of Tina and Bette’s circle of friends, and owns the neighborhood café, The Planet, which serves as the group's hang-out and focal point for the show. The season also introduces Shane McCutcheon, an androgynous, highly-sexual hairstylist and serial heart-breaker; Alice Pieszecki, a girly, bisexual journalist looking for love in any way she can, and Dana Fairbanks, a professional tennis player who is still in the closet and torn between pursuing her career and finding love. In the first season, Dana falls for a sous chef named Lara Perkins whose sexuality is questioned by the group until Lara has an unexpected meeting with Dana in the locker room. Episodes Episode 1 - Pilot Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner) is a young writer who graduates from college in Iowa and moves in with her boyfriend, Tim Haspel (Eric Mabius), a university women's swim team coach, in Los Angeles. Her new neighbors, Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) and Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman), a lesbian couple for seven years now, have a hard time finding a male willing to donate his sperm to fulfill their wish for a child. Tina introduces Jenny to her lesbian circle of friends: Dana Fairbanks (Erin Daniels), a prim, proper, and closeted tennis player, the witty and ambitious bisexual journalist Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey), and the androgynous, sexually aggressive hairstylist Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig). Jenny also meets Marina Ferrer (Karina Lombard), European owner of The Planet coffeehouse; they are immediately drawn to each other and eventually share a passionate kiss. Bette and Tina have their own problems and discuss using an African American as a donor for their child, which Tina will carry. Bette also deals with her alcoholic older half-sister Kit (Pam Grier), who has problems with her singing career. Jenny soon betrays Tim by sleeping with Marina. The next morning, Jenny finds a ring from Tim on her breakfast table. Episode 2 - Let's Do It Dana is asked to star in an ad campaign, but is worried about her sexual orientation being made public. While doing research for a story, Alice meets her old girlfriend Gabby (Guinevere Turner) and is immediately drawn to her again. Shane is harassed by an old girlfriend, Lacey (Tammy Lynn Michaels), who thinks Shane used her. Bette and Tina try artificial insemination with the sperm of Marcus Allenwood. The girls help Dana calibrate her "gaydar" and check out her new love interest, a country club sous chef named Lara Perkins (Lauren Lee Smith). Kit tries to mend her relationship with Bette and to rebuild her entertainment career. Tim, unaware of Jenny's encounter with Marina, invites Marina over for dinner, along with Bette and Tina and their other friends. Bette correctly guesses that something happened between Jenny and Marina and orders Marina to stay away from Jenny. Episode 3 - Longing Bette works on booking an art collection for her museum, the California Art Center, while her boss, Franklin (Michael Tomlinson), works against her. Mistaken for someone else, Bette meets with the influential Peggy Peabody (Holland Taylor) at a hotel in Santa Barbara. Meanwhile, Shane tries to convince her crazy ex, Lacey, to stop the rampage against her. Alice learns that Gabby is still untrustworthy and breaks up with her again. Dana finally musters the courage to ask Lara out on a date. Also, Jenny cannot resist temptation and begins an affair with Marina behind Tim's back. She continues to try to write but suffers from writer's block. Episode 4 - Lies, Lies, Lies Jenny's old college professor Nick (Julian Sands) (with whom she had a fling and whose opinion she values) shows up and tries to convince her that she's more complex than her latest work makes her out to be. Tim begins to suspect Jenny's infidelity, as does Alice and others. However, Jenny outright lies to everyone by denying being unfaithful. Alice later discovers the truth when she walks in on Jenny engaging in sexual acts with Marina in her office at The Planet while Tim is looking for her, and Alice covers for Jenny to prevent Tim from finding out and hurting his feelings. Unfortunately, this close call only makes Jenny even more reckless and unapologetic to her secret tryst with Marina. Meanwhile, Peggy Peabody prevents Bette from getting fired by storming into a meeting and announcing that she will lend the Provocations collection to the museum. Tina finally gets pregnant. Dana is ashamed about what happened on her first date with Lara. Elsewhere, Alice deals with her vain and irresponsible actress mother, Lenore (Anne Archer) who moves into her apartment after being evicted from her hotel suite. But Alice soon discovers that Lenore is not playing in high profile movies as she claims to be. Episode 5 - Lawfully Tim finally finds out about Jenny and Marina when he walks in on them. In a desperate attempt to hold on to him, Jenny tries making up with Tim; he tells her to prove her love by traveling to Lake Tahoe and marrying him immediately. Meanwhile, Dana is invited to a Subaru dinner party to sponsor her tennis career. She ends up hurting Lara when she takes Harrison, her (male) doubles tennis partner as a cover date. Bette and Tina have dinner with Bette's conservative father (Ossie Davis) where they announce Tina's pregnancy. Shane runs into an old friend, Clive, who is the personal assistant to Harry Sandchuk, a Hollywood bigwig who has come to see Shane's hairstyling work. Alice finally tells her mother to move out of her apartment. Episode 6 - Losing It A rising artist in New York tests Bette's commitment while Tina has an unpleasant run-in with Lei Ling, the sperm donor's girlfriend, who begins to harass her. Alice meets a man named Lisa, who claims to be a "lesbian in a man's body". Tim, still mistrustful of Jenny after their quickie wedding, returns home alone, leaving Jenny on her own. While hitchhiking back to Los Angeles, Jenny gets a ride from two disaffected teenagers in whom she confides about her troubled life. Also, Shane is excited that Harry wants to refer celebrity clients to her for hairstyling. Episode 7 - L'Ennui Jenny is hurt when Tim rejects her and rudely tells her to move out. Jenny then tries to live with Marina, who eventually tells Jenny that she has another lover living in Italy. Bette and Tina struggle with their fears of parenthood. Meanwhile, Dana's fears about being outed by her endorsement contract with Subaru destroys her relationship with Lara. Shane throws a party aboard Harry's boat with all her friends in attendance. Alice, fed up with women, tries a relationship with Lisa, which does not turn out as expected. Kit is stung when her estranged son, David Waters, doesn't show up for their meeting because he thinks she's fallen off the wagon again. Episode 8 - Listen Up Jenny tries to explain her situation and her confused sexuality to her one-time college roommate, Annette, who suggests they stalk Marina's girlfriend, Francesca (Lolita Davidovich), after she arrives in town. Bette and Tina attend group therapy in preparation for becoming parents, while Bette faces off against a black militant writer, Yolanda, who questions Bette's self-image as a mixed-race person. With her Subaru endorsement contract in full swing, Dana, with Alice in tow, decides to come out to her right-wing parents during a formal ball for Mrs. Fairbanks, despite knowing they will not approve. Kit is asked to help write a song for rapper Slim Daddy (Snoop Dogg). Shane throws Clive out of her place after catching him stealing from her to support his drug habit. Episode 9 - Luck, Next Time Bette faces serious personal and professional problems when the art gallery comes under attack for a radical exhibit and Tina buys expensive baby accessories without consulting her. As Dana starts to adjust to being out of the closet, fame (with complications) finds Shane when she gives a has-been actress, Cherie Jaffe (Rosanna Arquette), a new style, and the married actress makes a pass at her. Alice finds complications with Lisa and turns to another man named Andrew. Jenny has an unpleasant dinner with Marina and Francesca, who defend their open romance; Jenny leaves even more confused about whether she wants to be with Marina or with Tim. Later, Tim tells Jenny that he cannot forgive her for her infidelity and deception. Also, Kit begins to rehearse for Slim Daddy's music video. Episode 10 - Liberally Tina's grief from her sudden miscarriage is eased when an unexpected opportunity arrives; a member of her and Bette's therapy group asks her to volunteer at a social insurance office. There she and her colleagues find some dirt on Fae Buckley (Helen Shaver), the fanatical leader of a religious group that's hell-bent on shutting down Bette's art gallery. Meanwhile, Shane's relationship with Cherie becomes complicated when Cherie's unsuspecting husband, Steve, wants to help Shane open up her own hair salon and asks her to spend time with his emotionally distant daughter, Clea, who also makes a pass at Shane. Marina and Francesca have an argument over Francesca wanting to leave town again for a job back in Italy. Jenny tries to help the distraught Tim, who begins to date Trish, one of his swim team students. Dana also gets a new hairstyle and tries to have a fling with Jenny. Alice worries that she might be pregnant after her trysts with Lisa and Andrew. Also, Kit makes her return to the stage during a club party with Slim Daddy. Episode 11 - Looking Back Bette prepares for the gallery's "Provocations" show and hires Candace, an attractive female contractor, to handle the set-up. Meanwhile, Tina, Jenny, Shane, Alice and Dana share an eventful road trip to Palm Springs to the Dinah Shore Golf Classic for women. They each tell their coming out stories. At the hotel, Dana hits it off with a pushy event-planner named Tonya (Meredith McGeachie), and Jenny unloads about her tragic life to some of the attendees, including a new potential lover, named Robin (Anne Ramsay). Episode 12 - Locked Up A near-riot at the art gallery lands Bette, Dana, Shane, and Alice in the L.A. County Jail, which puts Bette in dangerous proximity to Candace when they share a cell together. Meanwhile, Kit meets Ivan, an auto mechanic and ultra-butch drag king whom she is strangely attracted to. Marina contemplates life without Francesca and begins to flirt with Robin, knowing that Robin has planned a date with Jenny. Jenny tries to write a story about manatees and attends the local aquarium for inspiration. There she meets an attractive marine biologist named Gene and asks him out. As Tim and Jenny discuss divorce, Shane's relationships spin out of control when Clea refuses to take no for an answer. Episode 13 - Limb From Limb The "Provocations" art show finally premieres at the CAC to mixed reviews, and Bette finally gives in to Candace's advances. Marina continues to flirt with Robin despite knowing she's dating Jenny, who has also begun sleeping with Gene. Shane's life turns from bad to worse when her attempt to let Clea down gently turns disastrous. Next, Cherie abandons Shane, and Cherie's husband terminates his business arrangement with Shane. Dana's pet cat dies, and Tonya proposes marriage. At the end of the episode, Tina finds out about Bette's fling with Candace, and Alice realizes that she is in love with Dana and goes to her apartment to tell her. Alice and Dana kiss, but Alice returns home alone, where she finds Tina sitting on her couch crying. Category:Seasons Category:Incomplete Articles